1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an energy absorbing structure of a vehicle body upper portion of an automobile, more particularly, of a passenger car. The vehicle body upper portion includes a structural member such as a roofside rail and a header forming a closed sectional space by an outer panel and an inner panel as well as passenger compartment furnishings such as an assist grip, a reading lamp, and a sun visor to be disposed in the inward side of the structural member.
2. Description of the Related Art
Having a great rigidity, a structural member such as a roofside rail and a header is hard to absorb an impact energy, when it is applied through a passenger compartment furnishing such as an assist grip, a reading lamp, and a sun visor disposed in the inward of the structural member. Therefore, measures such as to make an inner panel of a structural member having a readily deformable structure (Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 7-232583), or as to make a mounting portion for mounting a passenger compartment furnishings on the inner panel of the structural member or the assist grip itself have a readily deformable structure (Japanese Patent Public Disclosure No. 7-61304) are sometimes taken.